Participation in the Tartu Conference

14.6.2023

From June 11 to 13, the Deputy Dean for Academic Work of the Faculty of Foreign Languages took part in the work of the Tartu Conference.

Kateryna Bilobrovska, Vice Dean in charge of Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Lecture of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology, took part in the work of Seventh annual Tartu conference on east European and Eurasian studies «War and Peace. What’s Next for Eastern Europe and Eurasia?», which took place during June 11–13, 2023 in Tartu, Estonia and presented research on the topic: «The concept of “war” in the artistic interpretation by B. Antonenko-Davydovych».

The Tartu Conference is a venue for academic discussion of the fundamental cultural, social, economic and political trends affecting all aspects of life in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The conference took place as an in-person event (with opportunities to join online offered to Ukrainian scholars). The conference was held on the historic campus of the University of Tartu, located in the heart of Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu. The University of Tartu is one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe, founded by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus in 1632.

The city of Tartu is a charming university town whose relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere creates a perfect environment for scholarly conversations. Tartu’s neoclassical centre is small enough to cover on foot. In 2024, Tartu, together with Southern Estonia, will be the European Capital of Culture. The European Capital of Culture is Europe’s most prized cultural project, bringing together all the ideas, people and areas of an organising city or region. The leading theme of Tartu 2024, the European Capital of Culture is «Arts of Survival» which is meant to express the power of the arts in affecting Europe’s future in three larger areas of life: environmentally friendly culture with a focus on real human communication, strong communities and essential skills for living and, indeed, survival in the coming years. The four most important Arts of Survival featured in the Tartu 2024 programme are uniqueness, sustainability, awareness, and co-creation.

In 2020, the Tartu Conference was nominated for the first ICCEES Award for the Promotion of International Cooperation.

Participants affiliated with Ukrainian institutions were exempted from paying the participation fee. In this way, the international scientific community expresses its solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people.

The process of applying, selecting and preparing for the conference lasted six months. So, from November 2022, scientists from different countries had the opportunity to submit their research. All proposals were carefully selected by the Program Committee. The number of participants was limited.

The conference began with the evening plenary session on Sunday, 11 June, and ended in late afternoon on Tuesday, 13 June. The programme included academic panels, roundtables focused on current issues, and plenary sessions

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has dramatically transformed the discussion about the history and future of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, thus the role of war in past and present requires scholarly reflection. The participants of the conference try to examine the causes and consequences of war on various levels and obtain a deeper understanding of the experiences of victims and perpetrators and the ways in which war and violence affect different social groups. The task of studying peace is of no less significance: how do we end armed conflicts, which in some cases have been dragging on for decades, what are the conditions for stable peace at the global and regional level, what are the prospects of bringing perpetrators to justice and ensuring that the rules-based order is restored.

According to the information of the FFL